Carnival of Nursing in Public Call for Submissions

It seems like we can never go more than a few weeks without a mother breastfeeding her child in public making the headlines. In the last three months alone a Denver, CO mother created a stir when she nursed her newborn daughter at a Colorado Rockies game; a Tampa, FL mother was asked to nurse her toddler in private rather than in the school lobby; and a server at an Old Country Buffet in St. Paul, MN demanded that a mother cover up with a blanket while she nursed her six month old son. A recent study in the UK showed that half of all new mothers try to avoid breastfeeding in public because they feel uncomfortable.[1. The study was done by bottle maker Avent] This is clearly a hot button issue that needs discussion.

Have you ever been nervous to nurse or felt criticized for nursing in public?

Are you tired of being told that breastfeeding should be “done in private” or “covered up”?

Does it pain you when mothers rush to cover their children’s eyes when they see someone breastfeeding?

Are you passionate about educating others about the values of breastfeeding and the right to breastfeed in public (covered or uncovered)?

If so, please join us for the Carnival of Nursing in Public. Your co-hosts for the Carnival are Dionna at Code Name: Mama and Paige at Baby Dust Diaries.[1. Special thanks to pshouseblog for sparking the idea for the Carnival, for contributing to the planning, and for helping solicit sponsors for our giveaways.]

Carnival dates: July 5-9. Before you post, we will send you an email with a little blurb in html to paste into your submission that will introduce the carnival. We will also let you know what day (between July 5-9) to publish your post. Because you can publish on more than one day, you are welcome to submit more than one original post.

How Can You Participate?

1. Original Posts: Submit an original post on a Nursing in Public topic (see below for ideas) to be posted on your blog during the week of the Carnival (July 5-9, 2010). This should be a well-written, unpublished piece submitted by June 30th using the original post submission webform. You will receive instructions by email on when to post as well as footer information to include in your post. We will be grouping posts by topic to debut on different days throughout the week, so you may submit multiple posts and they will be listed on different days between July 5th – 9th.

2. Submit to the NIP Slideshow: We are looking for breastfeeding pictures to share in a special slideshow. Please submit your picture via email to CodeNameMama {at} gmail {dot} com and BabyDustDiaries {at} gmail {dot} com. You must own rights to share your pictures. Feel free to submit more than one.

2. Tweeting in Public: Submit your Tweet that shares a NIP tip or bit of encouragement in 140 characters or less using the Tweet submission webform. Be sure to include the #CarNIP hashtag and your Twitter ID in that 140 character count if you want us to credit you. And please, spread the word! Use hashtag #CarNIP to promote the carnival and share information about the rights of mothers and babies to eat in public.

3. Facebook Status Updates: During the week of the Carnival, we will share several short and sweet PSA’s about the benefits of breastfeeding and our legally protected right to nurse in public. Please share these Facebook ready PSA’s as status updates during the Carnival from July 5-9.

4. Crème de la Crème: As part of the Carnival we want to round up all the best of the best posts about Nursing in Public that are already out there. Submit a link to your favorite previously published post (by you or another blogger) using our suggestion form. The links will also be shared throughout the week of the Carnival. You can submit multiple posts.

Post Ideas & Guidelines

You can write about any topic related to nursing in public, but here are a few ideas:

The problem with defining discreet

Your own experiences

What you wish you’d known/advice for new mothers

The right to NIP

The sexualization of breasts & its consequences

NIP as it relates to culture, societal norms, attitudes, etc.

NIP while traveling

NIP and religion

NIP and babywearing

Nursing past infancy in public

What family and friends can do to support mothers who are NIP

Grab the “We Are Free to N.I.P.” Badge for your site!

Show the world that you support a mother’s right to breastfeed whenever and wherever the need arises. Our beautiful badge/logo is a watercolor painting done by Erika Hastings, a proud breastfeeding mama of three. Please visit Erika’s virtual art gallery to see more of her amazing work.

Please do: Write well. Write on topic. Write in a positive way. This Carnival is not to criticize mothers who choose to use formula or to nurse with a cover, it is to educate others about the beauty of breastfeeding whenever and wherever the need arises. Feel free to be creative within the gentle confines of the Carnival structure. If you’re feeling so inspired, you could paint a picture, organize a photo essay, or write a poem, a scholarly article, or a book review instead of a regular blog post.

Please don’t: Please don’t use profanity of the sort that might be offensive to more sensitive readers or their children. Please don’t submit irrelevant or argumentative pieces, we want this Carnival to be positive.

Editors’ rights: We reserve the right to edit your piece or suggest edits to you. We reserve the right to courteously reject any submissions that are inappropriate for the Carnival.

If you don’t have a blog: Contact us about potentially finding you a host blog to guest post. Please write your piece well in advance of the deadline in that case, so we can match you up with someone suitable. But if you really have something amazing to write, why not start your own blog? If you want advice, we find Scribbit’s free Blogging in Pink ebook to be a very helpful and down-to-earth guide, for beginners on up.

Remember: The purpose of this Carnival is to inform, advocate, and educate about nursing in public. It is not to be negative about mothers who formula feed or who choose to cover up when nursing in public. Carnivals are, of course, fun and a great way to meet like-minded bloggers, but this one can be so much more. Getting the word out about the our right to nurse in public and about normalizing breastfeeding will make a difference in the life of mothers and children everywhere.

In Australia we used Nursing when we weren’t allowed to say breastfeeding. Originally our Australian Breastfeeding Assoc was the Nursing Mothers’ Assoc because you couldn’t put “breastfeeding” in the phone book lol. To “nurse a child” here means to hold them in your lap, no boobs involved!

I wrote my post already. But I’m not sure if it’s okay for the carnival as I put my opinions in it, and it is a little argumentative. Maybe I should rewrite it? I just have such strong feelings about it and have been so hurt by others’ attitudes on it.

Opinions are welcome! As are strong feelings. In my experience Lisa, you always state your case with compassion so I feel sure it is passionate but not hurtful. I’d be happy to take a look if you like! :)